GLEAKINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



super is nearly all capped and some emerg- 

 ing, just set it on a new stand and contract 

 the entrance, making sure the queen is left 

 with the colony on the old stand. At the 

 same time give the new colony a ripe queen- 

 cell, or, better, a queen ; and when tne little 

 colony is ready, give it a body of ready- 

 built comb or full sheets of foundation, and 

 soon they are a normal colony in strength. 

 If a great amount of increase is desired, 

 the strongest colonies should be given an 

 extra super in the early spring, and the 

 queen allowed to occupy both as early as 



possible. Later, when some brood is emerg- 

 ing, use the best super for the increase. 



This super is never used as a storing- 

 receptacle by the bees as long as it remains 

 under the body and it is quietly out of the 

 way and well protected while left there. 



Soiue might think that seriotts robbing 

 might result in such wide-open hives; but 

 such has not been my experience, for the 

 colony has a good chance to ward them off, 

 and at the same time a great swarm or 

 army of robbers will not attack such a 

 colony. 



Cordele, Ga. 



COMB HONEY IN A CALIFORNIA OUT-APIARY 



BY C. T. AND M. B. WISE 



We run two out-apiaries for comb honey. 

 Our Kentucky Springs apiary (so named 

 from the spring which furnishes water for 

 the bees as well as ourselves) is situated 

 about eight miles east of home, and is usu- 

 ally visited once a week during the working 

 season. The trip is made in a buggy or 

 light wagon, and it usually requires two 

 days to attend to the work (100 colonies). 

 We camp over night at this yard. 



The other yard is two miles west from 

 home, and is usually visited twice a week, 

 making the round trij) on the day of each 

 visit. 



As soon in the spring as the bees begin 

 to crowd the brood-chamber a second hive- 

 body is placed on the hive. In this second 

 body should be placed all combs from the 

 colony that are filled with honey, and the 

 space so made in the lower hive filled with 

 brood-frames containing full sheets of 

 foundation or drawn combs. We get better 

 results from using foundation on the 

 stronger colonies, and usually reserve our 

 extra drawn combs for use with the weaker 

 colonies. Should the hive contain brood in 

 all frames when the second body is added, 

 put about half of the brood in the upper 

 hive, proceeding as before. When founda- 

 tion is used we get better results by putting 

 the foundation together as much as possible, 

 as the bees make better combs when several 

 sheets of foundation are side by side than 

 when they are alternated with drawn combs. 



A week or two later both hives should be 

 well filled with bees and brood. If they are 

 not so filled at the next visit, leave them 

 until they are full of bees, brood, and hon- 

 ey. We then place the combs containing 

 the greater part of the honey and well- 

 ripened brood in the top hive with one 

 comb in the center of the hive that has eggs 

 or very young larv93 suitable for rearing 

 aueens. 



Now set the top hive to one side and put 

 a baited comb-honey super on the lower 

 hive and a second comb-honey super con- 

 taining foundation upon that ; next put a 

 queen-excluder or a screen with a fly-bole 

 two inches wide on the last comb-honey 

 super (we get best results with the screen) ; 

 place the top hive on this stack, and leave 

 it for one week. 



We then carry the upper hive to a new 

 location and introduce a young queen if we 

 have one. If Ave have no queen to introduce 

 we leave them to raise one from the cells 

 within their own hive. At the time of car- 

 rying off the top hive we examine the comb- 

 honey supers before placed on the parent 

 hive. If the bees have accepted them and 

 gone to work we lift the baited super off, 

 placing the one with the foundation beneath 

 it, and put a third empty super on top. 

 When the bees begin to work in their third 

 super we put it at the bottom, and so con- 

 tinue thru the season. 



Our seasons last, in favorable years, from 

 May to September, and we sometimes have 

 ten or more unfinished comb-honey supers 

 on a hive. 



After the bees are working in the third 

 super we seldom find any inclination to 

 swarm; but when we first carry the upper 

 hive away the bees sometimes refuse to go 

 into comb-honey supers, when we " begin 

 at the beginning," and repeat the treatment. 

 When handled by this method I do not 

 believe we have more than one per cent of 

 swarms ordinarily, but in 1915 we had 90 

 ]ier cent of our bees to doctor for European 

 foul brood, and endeavored to hold them 

 strong for comb honey and requeen by rear- 

 ing queens (by introducing cells) in the 

 sick hive at the same time. As a result we 

 lost about 15 per cent of prime swarms, as 

 we judged by condition of the hives later. 



Acton, Cal. 



